Everything Is Relative
by sydney453
Summary: Post ATY. AU. Rewritten and reposted!! Please read and review!
1. Chapter One: The Beginning, Again

Title: Everything Is Relative

Author : Sarah  

E-mail: sydney453@yahoo.com

Feedback: That would be nice! 

Distribution: Would you want to do that? That would be nice, but just let me know first please.

Disclaimer: JJ, well, he owns all the fabulous characters, except those that you've never heard of before. They belong to me. Alias is owned by the fine people at ABC. Alias is the brainchild of JJ Abrams and Bad Robot Productions, so please don't sue me; I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit. 

Summary: Post Almost Thirty Years. Slightly alternate universe. Everything is the same except Emily and Sloane have a daughter. Sydney's still cuffed to a chair, Vaughn's still all wet, Will's still bloodied, Emily's still… poisoned?, Sloane's still a bastard, Sark's still hot, and Jack's still wondering how to get Will's blood stains off his lovely suede jacket. There's just another character thrown in the mix to muck things up some more.

Rating: Um, PG or PG-13.

Classification: Angst and Drama. 

Authors note: I'm thinking that each chapter will be written as an episode. Each episode will end in a cliffhanger, which will be resolved in the next episode. Oh, and the conversation that occurred between Sydney and Sloane in ATY wasn't about why he and Emily never had children, but why they decided to send her to school overseas. That make sense? Okay then, onward!

A big, giant huge THANK YOU to my beta reader Katelyn for all her wonderful suggestions. You've helped me make this story a million times better than I ever thought it could be. Everything you've done is hugely appreciated. Thanks again!

**Everything Is Relative: Part One**

**Chapter One: The Beginning, Again**

**Taipei **

**Warehouse District- Club- Back Office**

          Sydney looked up as a figure entered the room where she was being held. A look of shock registered on her face for a split second as she realized who the figure was. "Mom?"

Laura Bristow, Irina Derevko, The Man- whoever she was, looked down at her daughter and smiled. To her, Sydney was still the giggling little girl that she had left behind.  It was hard for her to believe that this blue haired, scantily clad woman was that same child.  

"Hello, Sydney. It's good to see you again." Laura mentally chided herself for such a pathetic opening line; she was still in shock from actually being in the same room as her daughter. 

Sydney glared at her mother, seething with anger, confusion, and revulsion. 

She let loose a barrage of questions, "Why the hell am I here? What do you want with me? How could you do this?" 

Sydney's voice broke on that last question, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of her estranged mother, "How could you leave me?"

Laura felt long hidden emotions being stirred up as she watched her daughter react to her presence. She felt her eyes begin to water, but steeled herself quickly. 

"You'll get those answers soon enough, dear. Right now I have some business to attend to, I'll be back as soon as I can." 

Turning to leave the room, she said over her shoulder to Khasinau,_ "Keep her company, but don't untie her." _

With that Laura Bristow walked out, leaving Sydney with Khasinau.

**_Airport- Empty Parking Lot_**

Elsewhere in Taipei, Will and Jack were making plans of their own. 

_"Look Will, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'm taking you to the airport right now, your plane leaves in an hour. You will be met by a CIA agent in Los Angeles, there you'll be informed of the next step. This situation is too dangerous for you, I'm not going to allow…"__. _

Jack was interrupted by an angry Will, _"You're not going to allow what, Jack? Me to be beaten, your daughter to be God knows where doing God knows what? I'll tell you what I'M not going to allow. I'm not going to be kidnapped and tortured again. Your agent in LA can't protect me and you know that. I have to stay here and make sure Sydney is safe."_

Jack sighed as he looked at his bruised and beaten passenger, _"Will there is not going to be any arguing. I'm driving you to the airport right now. You're not trained to handle this sort of situation. I know you care for Sydney, but the only way that you can help her is to leave. There are too many things for me to worry about, I don't need to add you to the list."_

Will leaned his head against the car's window and groaned. He knew Jack was right, but he couldn't bear not knowing what was happening. Every bit of Will's reporter's instincts were telling him to stay and find out the facts. Of course they were what got him into trouble in the first place. 

Will turned to face Jack, _"Okay, I'll go back to Los Angeles, but you have to promise me that you'll get her home safe."_

Jack gave Will a look and said stiffly, _"She's my daughter, Mr. Tippen. I'll always get her home safe."_

With that Jack started the car and sped off towards the airport. The quicker he got rid of Will, the quicker he could save Sydney.

Los Angeles Arvin Sloane's Beach House 

          Arvin Sloane watched his wife take a sip of the wine he had given her. The wine he had poisoned. Somehow he knew that this was the right thing to do. She wouldn't die in a hail of bullets at the hands of an unknown Alliance member. Emily would die a quiet peaceful death tonight as she slept at the beach house.  He kept telling himself that this was the right thing to do. This was the only way to spare her any more pain. And she had suffered so much already. The cancer. Finding out what he really was. Her heart had broke when Sloane had told her the truth about SD-6 earlier in the day, but she had forgiven him because he had kept her and their daughter safe from those people for whom he worked for more than two decades. Sloane and Emily both ate their dinners in silence, occasionally commenting on the food. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Sloane could still feel some tension from Emily. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he was afraid of what Emily's answer might be. He didn't want Emily's last moments with him to be wrought with anger.

Emily finally broke the silence with a question, _"What are we going to tell Audrey?"_

Sloane smiled at the thought of his daughter. Twenty years old, brilliant and his pride and joy. She and Emily were the only things that kept him from attempting to break away from SD-6 and the Alliance, he knew that if he left they would be the first two people that the Alliance would go after. But now that Emily had revealed her knowledge of SD-6 every carefully laid plan to protect them was crumbling.

Sloane replied, _"She never has to know anything. It's the only way to keep her safe. Besides she has her own life in England." _

Audrey had just finished schooling at Oxford a year earlier than her peers and was starting a job at a magazine later on in the summer. 

"I think that's best, Arvin. The thought of her being dragged into this life of yours, it scares me. We have to do everything in our power to keep her safe." 

Emily's eyes started to tear and Sloane moved to embrace her, _"Don't worry darling, I'll always be there to protect her. That's one thing I can promise you."_

Emily started to get up, wiping tears away from her eyes as she did so. _"I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. Everything that has happened lately has made me so tired." _

Sloane watched his wife walk out of the room knowing that she would never get up again. He sat down on the couch as tears sprang to his eyes, wishing with ever fiber of his being that this wasn't really happening.

Taipei Airport- Parking Lot 

          Jack hurriedly ran back to his car after dropping Will off at the correct gate. He kept running the nights events over in his head, hoping that when he reached the club where he knew Sydney was everything would be all right. But the sinking feeling in his stomach told him otherwise. He could feel that something was wrong.  Jack jumped in his car and gunned the engine. 

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

          Sydney stared at the person she had been led to believe was The Man, _"What is going on here? Please tell me."_

Khasinau gazed at Sydney for a few seconds before responding. _"The resemblance is amazing. I can see why those people at the FBI thought the prophecy was about you." _

Sydney sighed exasperatedly, _"I know that I look like my mother, that's all that I've been told my whole life. I'm tired of everyone comparing me to her. We are nothing alike. She betrayed me, my father…" _

Sydney's rant trailed off as she tried to keep herself from crying in front of Khasinau.

Khasinau felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. She was so young, but she had seen so much. So many of the people she loved were either hurt or dead. He couldn't begin to understand her feelings, let alone comfort her. 

He tried though, _"I know things seem… bleak, but I assure you they will get better." _

Sydney rolled her eyes at Khasinau. What did he know about her? He had no right to even be speaking to her. It was obvious to Sydney that Khasinau was part of the reason why her mother had left her. He was the enemy. 

There was a minute of uncomfortable silence until Sydney snapped, _"Look, I don't need your sympathy. I just want to know what the HELL is going on." _

Khasinau sighed as he stood up, _"Well, young lady, I can't help you there." _

He walked into the next room and shut the door behind him. Sydney began to struggle with the cuffs that fastened her to the chair as the outside door was thrown open.  She looked up and saw a man dragging another unconscious man into the room. Sydney's eyes widened when she saw who it was that had just been brought into the room.

Warehouse District- Club Entrance 

          Jack burst into the club, ignoring the looks that came from the patrons. He knew that he stood out like a sore thumb, but he didn't care. All that mattered was finding Sydney. He ran towards the hallway that led to the warehouse where The Circumference was supposed to be located.  That was where his daughter could be. He knew that he was breaking every rule of protocol, that he was being reckless and unsafe, but he didn't care. Nothing on this earth would stop him from finding his daughter. Jack frustratedly tugged at door handles, all of which were locked.  He looked up and down the corridor, searching for signs of life, but no one was nearby and the only sounds he heard were the thumping bass from the club and the buzzing of the over head lighting. He turned around to reach for another door, when a blow to the head stopped him in his tracks. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious, as Laura Bristow watched. 

_"Hi, honey,"_ she muttered and then chuckled at the fact that those were the first words she said to her husband after being away from him for more than twenty years. 

Then she turned to one of her guards and said in Russian, _"Take him to my office. I can't deal with him now."_

Los Angeles Los Angeles International Airport- International Arrivals Terminal 

          Will walked slowly down the corridor into the airport, carefully avoiding eye contact with anyone. He knew he looked awful and he felt even worse. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Will was an emotional wreck, wondering what was happening to his best friend and trying to figure out how to go on with his life. It didn't help that the sight of him had made the child sitting next to him cry for most of the flight. Will sighed and glanced around for the CIA agent that was supposed to be meeting him at the gate. For a split second he thought about trying to get away alone, but decided that after all that had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours, it would be best to let the CIA protect him. 

He felt a hand grab his arm from behind as an unfamiliar voice said, _"Come with me, Mr. Tippen." _

Will glanced at the tall dark haired man, hoping that he was CIA and not someone else who wanted to kill him. _"Where exactly are you taking me? And who are you?" _

The man looked Will over carefully and showed him his CIA identification, _"My name is Agent Weiss. I'm here to take you down to the newspaper office. We have to get there quickly, before your story is printed. Then we'll see if we can find you a doctor, because, and don't take this the wrong way, you look like crap."_

Will rolled his eyes at the man, _"Gee thanks. How do you know about the story?" _

Weiss eyed him stonily and cryptically responded, _"We're the CIA Mr. Tippen, we know everything."_ Weiss then grinned at him and added, _"Plus we went through the filing cabinets at your house. That helped." _

Will didn't know what to make of this guy. Was it such a good thing that the man who held his life in his hands was making lame jokes? He didn't think so. _"Let's just get on with this please."_

Weiss guided Will towards his car and they made their way towards the Los Angeles Register offices. During the drive, Weiss kept up a steady stream of chatter that Will responded to with nothing more than a few grunts. He was staring out at the sights of the city trying to forget about the searing pain that Suit and Glasses had inflicted upon him.

Arvin Sloane's Beach House 

          Sloane was sitting on a wing chair next to his bed. He'd been there for hours, watching and waiting. Watching Emily's breaths slowly become more ragged and further apart. Waiting for the inevitable. The death of the woman who had loved him unconditionally. He was snapped out of his reverie by a sound coming from the front hall. He grabbed his gun and went to investigate, vowing that whoever was bothering him would be shot for their troubles. Sloane stepped in to the foyer and waited as the door knob slowly turned and the door opened. 

_"Drop what you're holding and put your hands where I can see them,"_ Sloane ordered as soon as he saw the shadowy figure in the doorway. 

_"Daddy? What's going on? Why do you have a gun?"_

"Audrey! Why are you here? You scared me." 

Audrey put her bag down and turned to face her father, _"I went to the house in the city and you and Mom weren't there. Then I remembered you saying something about renting a beach house, so I went and checked the day planner that Mom keeps in the kitchen. Sure enough, there was the address.  I'm sorry to bother you and Mom, but I came here because I needed…" _

Audrey trailed off when she noticed the look on her father's face. _"What? What is it? Something's going on I can tell. Where's Mom?"_

Sloane took his daughters hand an led her towards the living room, _"Audrey, your mother is not well.  I… I don't think she's going to make it past the night." _

Audrey's eyes filled with tears. They both made their way up the stairs towards the master bedroom, _"But I just talked to her the other day, she said she was in remission! She said she was going to be fine. This can't be happening."_

Sloane was trying not to cry himself, the feelings of guilt and remorse beginning to overwhelm him. _"I'm so sorry sweetie. I don't know what happened, we thought she was going to be okay. Then everything went downhill." _

They both stopped and stood at the door of the bedroom for a few minutes watching Emily breathe. Sloane and Audrey both held their breath every time Emily exhaled, waiting for her to inhale again. 

Audrey walked over to her mother's bedside and collapsed on the floor, repeating the same word over and over again, _"Why?" _

Sloane was wondering the same thing himself.

Los Angeles Register Offices 

          Will and Agent Weiss ran into the Los Angeles Register offices looking for someone who could help them. Will burst into Litvack's office, hoping that the editor would still be there. She was and almost fainted at the sight of Will, who ran in yelling, _"Stop the presses, stop the presses!!" _

Weiss ran in after him, pulling his CIA identification out of his coat and explaining, _"I'm CIA Agent Eric Weiss and Mr. Tippen has written a story that could cause us a lot of trouble.  To echo his sentiment- stop the presses! That story of his absolutely cannot be printed. If it is our whole operation is ruined, months, hell YEARS of work down the drain." _

The woman looked over the two wild eyed men in her office and picked up her phone, _"I'll see what I can do."_

Will just looked at Weiss and sadly said, _"I thought I was doing the right thing."_

Taipei

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

          In the back room of the warehouse Sydney goggled at the sight before her. The Man's favorite henchman, Sark was struggling with the water-logged body of her handler and friend Agent Vaughn. Sydney gasped as Sark unceremoniously dumped Vaughn's body onto the floor at Sydney's feet. 

"Oh my God, Vaughn! Can you hear me?! Please be alright."

Sydney's already fragile emotional state was being pushed even further- she was nearly hysterical at the sight of her friend. _"Is he alive, please tell me he's going to be alright! I can't loose someone else." _Sydney pleaded at Sark, which seemed to amuse him.__

"Well, he does have a pulse, I can tell you that much. As for how all right he is, I'm no doctor, but I think he should be perfectly fine once he regains consciousness. We found him unconscious in a hallway after the water receded. An object that was swept away with the water must have hit him in the head. He's got a nasty bruise on his forehead."

Sark watched Sydney carefully as he spoke, and then added, _"I just hope he doesn't have any brain damage."_

Sydney glared at him as Sark rose up his hands in mock surrender and in a sarcastic tone of voice, added, _"That was a joke. An insensitive one at that. You're under a lot of strain and that was unnecessary. I apologize." _

_"Where the hell is my mother and what is your connection to her?"_

Now that she knew Vaughn was alive, Sydney was growing impatient. She had been sitting cuffed to a chair for  what seemed like hours wondering if Vaughn was alive or dead. She was not happy. 

Sark smirked at Sydney and sat down in the chair previously occupied by Khasinau, "_Oh, don't worry Miss Bristow, you'll find everything out soon enough. You might even like what you hear."_

He paused for a second as if considering the facts then amended his statement, _"Well some of what you hear anyway."_ Another smirk. 

Sydney was getting more and more angry, how she wished her hands were free so she could wipe that smug look off his face. She decided to tell him so, _"If I were able to I'd thoroughly enjoy making that little grin of yours disappear you pompous ass." _

At that moment, Laura Bristow decided to reappear. She smiled down at the two people in the room and said, _"Now Sydney, that isn't any way to talk to your younger brother."_

End episode one.


	2. Chapter Two: The Family Business

Chapter Two- The Family Business

Taipei

Warehouse District- Laura Bristow's Office 

Jack gradually regained consciousness in a semi-dark room. He slowly picked his head up, trying to ignore the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. Glancing around the room, Jack saw that he was in someone's office, but the buzzing of the  fluorescent lighting from the hall revealed that he was still in the warehouse where Sydney was supposed to have been. He assumed from his reception that Sydney had been captured and started to formulate a plan to find her and get her out.

Jack struggled to his feet, cursing as a wave of dizziness made him trip over an object lying on the ground. He reached his hand up to the back of his head and felt a cut and the beginnings of a large bruise. Jack brought his hand back down in front of him and winced when he saw that it was covered in blood. Whomever had hit him had certainly been trying to make a point. It was obvious to Jack that the object they had used had been chosen to cause maximum damage. Jack glanced around the room trying to find an exit. In the dim light he could make out the shape of two doors. He ran over to one of the doors and frantically turned the handle, but as he expected, it was locked from the outside. He quickly ran to the second door and found that it too was locked. 

_"Damn it,"_ Jack muttered under his breath, _"What am I going to do?" _

Jack looked around the room, searching for an alternative means of escape and then groaned unhappily when he saw his only option, _"The ventilation system." _

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

Sydney stared at her mother. _"I have a brother."_

It was a statement, not a question.  She'd gotten a strange feeling from Sark at the club in Paris the other day but had assumed it was from her excitement over possibly taking down The Man. Now she realized why she'd felt so uncomfortable around Sark, they were related. And he had obviously known about it. He'd sat through her entire performance smirking at her because he knew everything. He knew about her job at SD-6. He knew who her father was. He knew who her mother was. Hell, he even knew her mother better than she did.  She faced both Sark and Laura in turn, seeing glimpses of herself in both of them. Sark even bore a striking resemblance to her father. 

Sydney was finally able to speak. _"How is this possible? You have to be lying to me."_

Laura laughed shortly. _"I know you don't want to believe this, but I wouldn't lie to you about something of this magnitude. Alexander is your brother. I was two months pregnant when I… left."_

Sydney stared at her mother for a long while as feelings of rage and hurt washed over her. _"Did you know you were pregnant when you left?" _

Laura looked into Sydney's eyes and gazed at her levelly. _"I did."_

Sydney grew even more angry. _"You left  my father when you knew that you were pregnant with his child! How could you?"_

She glanced at Sark and attempted to gesture at him even though her hands were still bound. _"You took his father away from him. And a family. A REAL family, not this twisted little facade of one that you've been inflicting on him for all his life."_

Laura interrupted Sydney, _"I'd watch what you are saying if I were you."_

Sydney laughed at her. _"What are you going to do? Kill me? That really doesn't seem like such a shocking action coming from the woman who abandoned me…" _

Sydney's rant was interrupted when Sark bellowed, _"Enough! You both need to calm down. Sydney, I know how much of  a shock this is for you, but I don't need to listen to you degrading the way that I was raised. And Mother, please take into account how much new information Sydney has received." _

Both women stared at each other for a few seconds before breaking eye contact and becoming lost in their own thoughts. Sydney finally spoke, her voice having a trace of hysteria in it,  _"This is unbelievable! My life is like a soap opera."_

That last statement was perfectly timed as Khasinau burst into the room looking like he had some information to share.  

Laura laughed and responded to Sydney, _"How right you are."_

Khasinau eyed the situation with an upset look on his face. Sydney was handcuffed to a chair, Agent Vaughn was still in a heap on the floor, Sark was sprawled out on a chair looking like he was thoroughly enjoying the events transpiring, and Laura Bristow was standing in the middle of it all, looking quite pleased with herself. 

_"Well,"_ Khasinau said standing up a little straighter, _"This is cozy."_ He paused for a minute as if gathering up the courage to speak to Laura, "Irina, there's something I need to speak with you about." 

Sydney winced at the use of her mother's real name. Even after all she had done, to Sydney her mother always would be Laura Bristow.

Khasinau pulled Laura off into a corner away from the group and started speaking to her in Russian. Since  Sydney was fluent Russian , she was able to understand everything being said. Khasinau either wanted Sydney to understand their conversation or was as stupid as he looked. 

Sydney leaned forward, trying to hear better, _"It seems our friend in your office has managed to escape."_

Laura's voice rose in volume as she snapped, _"How the hell did he get away? There are guards posted at both the doors. The doors were locked. This shouldn't have happened!" _

Khasinau looked upset at being yelled at by Laura, _"It appears that Mr. Bristow managed to escape through the air ducts." _

Sydney almost gasped at the mention of her father's name, but was able to keep her face expressionless as her mother turned back to glance at her for a second. 

Khasinau added, _"We have guards looking all over for him. I assure you, we'll find him." _

Laura stalked over towards the door and made a motion for Khasinau to leave, _"You'd better find him."_

Sydney looked up at her mother and smiled, _"So you're the woman who is supposed to "__render the greatest power unto utter desolation", and yet you still can't find competent help. That's sad."_

Laura shot her daughter a sharp look as she responded, _"I see you have the same sarcastic streak as your father. That's not a good thing. And can you tell me that you're absolutely sure that Rambaldi's prophecy was about me? What about you? You seem to bear a startling resemblance to the woman pictured on Page 47. More so than me even."_

Sydney eyed her mother carefully, not liking the mind games she was playing, _"The prophecy stated that the woman in it was never to have seen Mount Sebacio.  I've been there. Climbed it actually." _

Laura smiled at her daughter, _"You may have been there my dear but did you really see "the beauty of the sky beyond Mount Sebacio"? I'm not too sure about that last part."_

Sydney's eyes widened as she realized what her mother was saying.

Los Angeles 

Los Angeles Register Offices 

Will sat slumped in a chair staring at his editor as she tried to stop his story from being printed. 

_"Look I don't care how late it is, there is a story that absolutely cannot be printed…. No I can't tell you why. Don't argue with me, I'm in charge here… Fine, you do that. Contact me when you know for sure."_

Litvack hung up the phone and glanced up at Will and Agent Weiss, _"The idiot that I spoke with wasn't sure if the issue had been sent to the presses yet. He went to go check,"_ she glanced back up at Will when he moaned and dropped his head into his hands, _"He said he would contact me as soon as he could. Will, why did you get yourself into this mess?" _

Will looked up at her and responded, _"I thought I would be helping a friend, but it turns out she was the one who had to help me."_ He sighed and got up to leave the room, _"I'll be at my desk. Please let me know when you find out if the story has been printed."_

Weiss watched Will leave and then turned to face Litvack. _"If Will's story is printed…",_ he paused trying to find the right words_.  "Let's just say you'll be running a lot more obituaries than usual."_ Weiss left the office.

Arvin Sloane's Beach House 

Audrey and Arvin Sloane sat numbly in the master bedroom of their rented beach house. Audrey turned to her father with tears brimming in her eyes and whispered, _"I can't believe she's really gone."_

Sloane reached over to comfort his daughter,   _"We have to remember that she's in a better place. No matter how much we wish she were here and want her back, we have to remember she's at peace now. Nothing can ever hurt her again."_

Sloane was saying this for his own benefit as well as his daughter's. The reality of what he had done was beginning to sink in. He had murdered his wife. The woman who had loved him for more than twenty-five years. The mother of his child. She was gone forever now. And for what? His job at SD-6? A place on The Alliance's board of directors? That didn't seem as important now. The only thing that mattered any more was keeping Audrey safe from the members of The Alliance.

_"What do we do now?"_ Audrey asked, as she stood in front of Sloane with tears in her eyes. 

Sloane got up to hug her, _"That's not for you to worry about, sweetheart. I'll deal with everything. It's two thirty in the morning, I know how upset you are but I still think you should try and get some sleep. I'll go and make the necessary phone calls and arrangements." _

Audrey looked up at him, her voice breaking as she responded, _"That wasn't what I was talking about. What I meant was how do we go on without her? How do we wake up every morning knowing that she's not going to be there for us?" _

Sloane sighed and squeezed Audrey's hand, _"I don't know sweetie, I just don't know. But we'll find a way. You're not going to go through this alone, I'll always be there for you." _

Audrey gave her father a kiss on the cheek, turned to walk out of the room, and said, _" 'Night, Daddy. I'm just so… sorry for… everything." _

Sloane watched her leave the room and then walked towards the phone, careful to avoid looking at Emily's body.

Los Angeles Register Offices 

Will got up from his desk and began pacing back and forth across the well worn floor. He watched as Weiss disconnected from the fifth cell phone call he had placed since their meeting. Will surmised that something other than the newspaper article was also happening.  It had been fifteen minutes since Litvack had put in a call to the printer and they still hadn't received a response. Will knew that if his story was printed everything would be ruined. Sydney and Jack would most likely be killed by SD-6. They would probably send someone to kill him too. And countless other innocent people would wind up dead also. All of those unsuspecting people who worked for SD-6 thinking it was a branch of the CIA. So many lives ruined because of something he did. 

_"Damn it! What's taking them so long,"_ Will practically shouted. 

_"Look, just calm down, Mr. Tippen. Your getting agitated isn't going to solve anything."_ Weiss exasperatedly responded. He'd been sitting on a chair in Will's office listening to him mutter to himself for fifteen minutes straight and it was beginning to grate on him. 

Will laughed at him, _"You've got that right. Nothing is going to solve this, is it? I'm going to spend the rest of my life running from these people. That is if they don't kill me first. You don't have any right to tell me to…"_ Will was interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone.

Will and Agent Weiss quickly ran into Litvack's office and caught the tail end of her conversation, _"Well thank you very much, you don't know how much of a help you've been. We'll fax you an alternate story in a few minutes." _

Will gasped with joy, _"It hasn't been printed! Thank God, I'm not going to die."_

Weiss awkwardly patted Will on the back saying, _"Yeah, you're going to be just fine."_ Weiss just hoped The Man and his cronies were done with Will. Turning away from Will and turning towards Litvack, Weiss said, _"Thank you for everything that you have done. I can't even begin to explain how much of a help you have been." _

Taipei

Warehouse District- Club- Air Ducts Over Back Office 

Jack was getting more and more frustrated, he'd been crawling around in the air ducts for more than an hour now and he still hadn't found Sydney.  All he saw was a giant water drenched room which he assumed had housed The Circumference. At least Sydney had destroyed that. 

_"Damn it. Where is she?"_ He continued crawling around until his search finally paid off. There she was, handcuffed to a chair. But she wasn't alone. Jack moved closer to the vent trying to get a better view. 

_"Wonderful."_ Jack muttered under his breath as he saw that Sark and Agent Vaughn were also in the room with her. Along with a woman whose back was turned towards him. Jack almost gasped when he heard the woman speak, but managed to keep his emotions in check and avoid detection.

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

_"I see you're finally catching on Sydney. Rambaldi's prophecy was truly about you."_ Laura Bristow said to her shocked daughter. 

_"No,"_ Sydney replied, _"That can't be. I was THERE! I saw that stupid mountain. It can't be about me. I followed the whole prophecy. I did what the woman in it wasn't supposed to have done."_

Laura laughed at her daughter's distressed reaction, _"No my dear that wasn't the entire prophecy. There are other books that have been in my possession for many years. You don't think that I would go through all this trouble to bring you here if I wasn't one hundred percent sure you were the subject of the prophecy, do you? I've read that you are a genius Sydney, don't tell me that you are so naive that you would think all you needed to do was see Mount Sebacio. Haven't you learned by now? Nothing in life is ever that easy."_

Sydney wasn't able to process this information. It couldn't be, she could never be the one to bring down "the world's greatest power". 

_"No!"_ Sydney yelled, _"This can't be happening. You have to be lying to me."****_

Jack Bristow listened carefully from the air ducts. The look on Sydney's face was heartbreaking. Jack found it hard to believe that the woman he was staring at really was his wife. And that she was still as heartless as he thought. It angered him that this woman thought she had the right to speak to his daughter like that. She'd been gone from Sydney's life for more than twenty years and when she finally reappears she tells her something that could potentially ruin the rest of her life. Jack took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. He'd deal with the anger and resentment he felt towards his wife later, now he had to formulate a plan to free Sydney and Agent Vaughn. 

Sark got up and walked across the room towards his mother, _"I don't think she likes you Mother."_

He grinned at Sydney and bent down so that they were face to face, _"You may think that the information that you have just received is terrible, but I assure you once you know the truth about everything, you'll be glad to work with us."_

Sydney recoiled from Sark, _"I'll never have anything to do with you people. You're the reason…"_ Sydney was interrupted as Jack burst into the room.

_"Hello Laura. It's been a long time,"_ Jack said, as he threw up his elbow and knocked her unconscious. 

Sark ran at Jack at full speed, trying to knock him off his feet.  Jack was too quick for him though as he kicked Sark in the stomach and knocked him unconscious with an object from a nearby shelf as he was struggling to get back up. 

_"Sydney, are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"_ Jack asked as he searched a nearby desk for the keys to the handcuffs that held Sydney to the chair. 

_"I'm fine, Dad. A little bruised, but fine. But Vaughn- - God!"_ Sydney stopped speaking and tried to compose herself- she didn't want her father to see her cry. _"Vaughn doesn't look so good. He's been unconscious for hours."_

Jack un-cuffed Sydney and felt Vaughn's pulse. _"His pulse is strong Sydney. If we get him medical care soon he should be fine."_

_"Thank God,"_ Sydney breathed, _"I was so scared. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him."_

Jack glanced up as he heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. _"Here comes the cavalry Syd. We have to leave now."_

Just then a group of well armed soldiers burst into the room. Jack and Sydney both dove for cover. _"Sydney, we have to get past them quickly. There's no telling how many more men your mother has working for her." _

Jack burst out from behind the table and moved quickly towards the door, making short work of the men who tried to get in his way. _"Sydney, move!"_ Jack yelled. 

Sydney glanced towards Vaughn who was at the other side of the room, out of her reach. _"What about Vaughn! We can't just leave him here. They'll kill him!"_ Sydney cried. 

_"Sydney, we have to leave him. We don't have any choice."_ Jack yelled as he cracked a chair over the head of one of Laura's henchmen. _"Come with me. NOW!!" _

Sydney cast one final glance at Vaughn, and then ran out from her hiding space, and out the door with her father.

Los Angeles

Freeway 

Audrey sat staring out the window of her father's car. When she'd woken up that morning her father had told her that everything that needed to be done with her mother had been taken care of. Sloane wanted them to leave the beach house as soon as they could. He couldn't stand being in the place where his wife died for too much longer. Audrey bent towards the dashboard, trying to find a song on the radio that would distract her. 

Finally settling on one, she said, _"Daddy, I know this is a horrible time to discuss this, but there is something that I need to talk to you about. It's the reason why I came home from England."_

Sloane took in the apprehensive look on his daughter's face and gasped, _"You're not pregnant are you?" _

Audrey looked at her father as if he were crazy, "_Of course not Daddy." _

"Thank goodness. Then what is it sweetie, you know you can tell me anything." 

Audrey took a deep breath and looked her father in the eye, _"I know about SD-6 Dad. And I want to work for you." _

Sloane slammed on the brakes, nearly causing an accident as he tried to process Audrey's last statement. 

Taipei

Airport Runway 

Sydney paced back and forth in the CIA chartered plane that the extraction team had gotten for them.  She kept running the events of the day over and over in her head. _"I can't believe this is really happening. We have to get Vaughn back." _

Jack felt awful for his daughter, but knew that he had done the right thing. Sydney was the one Laura wanted, it was more important to have gotten her out than Vaughn. 

_"Sydney look at me," _Jack took his daughter's hand and led her to a seat, _"I will do everything in my power to get Agent Vaughn back alive. You have to trust me on this." _

Sydney just closed her eyes and tried not to sob.

End episode two.


	3. Chapter Three: Knowledge

Chapter Three- Knowledge 

Los Angeles

Freeway 

After a long while, Sloane finally was able to look at his daughter. _"Audrey, I'm only going to tell you this once. Do not get yourself mixed up in SD-6." _

Audrey sighed and glanced at her father, _"But Dad, how can you say that? How can you not want me to work with you? Think about it! Father and daughter, working side by side for the greater good."_

Audrey trailed off and was interrupted by her father, _"This life is not for you! I can't spend every day of my life wondering if you are safe or somewhere being hurt. There are bad people in this world, Audrey. People who will kill you without thinking twice about it. I will not have you brought into that kind of a life." _

Audrey opened her mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by an upset Sloane, _"No! I'm not going to hear it! After your mother's funeral you will go back to London and work for that magazine. Never, ever mention SD-6 again. Do you hear me? NEVER!"_

Audrey tearfully responded, _"But isn't this what you want, me at SD-6? You can't tell me that you want me to spend my life thousands of miles away from you. You're all I've got. Besides when I was recruited…"_

Audrey was interrupted by a sharp glance from Sloane, _"Recruited? When in the hell were you recruited? And by whom?" _

Audrey looked at her father and incredulously replied, _"I can't believe you don't know. I'd always thought you were the reason why I was brought into SD-6."_

_"Audrey do you really think that I would ever bring you into this life? Just tell me, when and by whom were you recruited,"_ Sloane questioned, already making mental preparations for the murder of whoever had dragged his little girl into this. 

"It was sophomore year at Oxford. In October of that year, I think." 

Sloane interrupted her with a question, _"Why did you keep this from me for three-and-a-half years?"_

Audrey shrugged and responded, _"When I was first recruited I was told never to mention my dealings with SD-6 to anyone. Dreyer told me my training was classified,"_ Audrey laughed nervously and continued, _"Besides I always thought you knew and didn't want to mention it.  If I had been aware that you didn't know…" _

Audrey paused awkwardly and the silence was filled up with an angry Sloane asking, _"WHO was it that brought you into this?" _

Audrey glanced up and saw that they were pulling up to the driveway of their house, _"It was Agent Dreyer." _

Sloane responded, _"That bastard! I'll deal with him later. Right now I think we need to start calling some of your mother's friends,"_ he paused as he opened the car door, _"This conversation isn't over."_

Los Angeles International Airport- Runway 

Sydney stared out the window of the plane as it landed. She was lost in her thoughts. She'd spent the past few hours thinking about everything that had happened in the last two days. Her feelings were a mix of relief and fear. At least Will had arrived in Los Angeles safely. Sydney felt an enormous amount of guilt that her problems had been the cause of everything that had happened to him. When it came down to it, Sydney was responsible for the fact that Will had been kidnapped. If it weren't for her, Will would never have gotten mixed up with SD-6 and wouldn't have been harmed. At least Will was going to be all right; even though he had been badly beaten he was still alive. This fact comforted Sydney. But Vaughn was another story. He was yet another person Sydney had dragged into this whole mess. 

_"Why did I let him come with me? How could I have been so stupid?"_ Sydney asked as the plane touched down.

Jack sat watching Sydney, _"Sydney, Agent Vaughn is a grown man. He made the decision to go to Taipei with us. No one forced him into doing anything." _

Jack's speech was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Before he answered it he added, _"This is not your fault." _

Sydney got up to exit the plane, holding back the tears that threatened to flow every time she thought about Agent Vaughn's fate.  Sydney paused at the door, hearing Jack react to the phone conversation, _"God, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this happened… Yes, of course I'll tell Sydney. Tuesday at eight PM. We'll be there. And again, I'm so sorry… Goodbye."_

Jack took his daughter's arm and led her towards the seats, _"That was Sloane, just then. I, um… there really isn't any other way to say this, Emily is dead." _

Sydney gasped with shock as the emotions she had been trying to fight for hours finally overwhelmed her. She began to cry. 

Jack continued. _"It happened early this morning. Sloane said she just went to bed and never woke up. The wake is on Tuesday and the funeral is the next day. I'm so sorry, I know how close you two became after your mother left. I really don't know what else to say Sydney." _

Sydney looked up into Jack's eyes and took a calming breath before speaking, _"Sloane did this. He killed her. I know it." _

Jack gave a disgusted sigh, _"I wouldn't put it past him. He'd do anything for a spot on The Alliance's board of directors." _

As Sydney got up to leave the plane, Jack grabbed her arm, _"Look Sydney, I know you're upset, but don't do anything rash. Keep your suspicions to yourself. At least until after the funeral. Don't do it for me, do it for Emily."_

Sydney nodded. _"I know Dad. I'm not going to do anything stupid, don't worry. Right now I just want to go home." _Sydney got up and exited the plane.

Taipei

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

Sark gazed around the once nicely decorated room which was now strewn with the unconscious bodies of several soldiers and broken pieces of bric-a-brac and furniture. 

He had to laugh. _"It appears my father managed to knock me unconscious with a Hummel figurine,"_ he chuckled. He was quickly joined by Khasinau. 

Laura Bristow glared at the two men, _"I don't see the humor in this. Not only has Jack managed to get away, but he took Sydney with him. Do you understand the ramifications of this? Our plan could be set back by months! We have get Sydney into our possession as quickly was possible." _

Sark glanced down at the floor, _"Oh, don't worry Mother, we'll find her. At least we still have him."_ Sark nodded at Agent Vaughn's wet and unconscious body. 

He then turned his attentions back to Laura. _"What are we going to do with Agent Vaughn anyway?"_

_"Up until a few hours ago I would have said kill him, but now it appears he will be a very worthwhile presence."_ Laura replied. 

_"You want to use him as bait."_ Khasinau asked. 

Laura looked at her protégée and laughed, _"Of course he's bait. Nothing will bring Sydney back here quicker than the man she loves."_

Los Angeles

Sydney and Francie's House 

Sydney walked into her house and dropped her bag onto the floor. She gave a deep sigh and went to look at the mail stacked on the hall table. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror above the table and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. 

_"How could this happen?"_ She whispered to her reflection, _"How could everything have gone so wrong?"_

She walked over to the living room couch and sat down heavily as tears ran down her cheeks. 

_"Syd, you're home! How was your trip?"_ Francie walked into the room with a smile on her face. That smile quickly disappeared when she saw the state that Sydney was in. 

_"What happened sweetie? What's wrong? You know you can tell me."_ Francie wrapped her arms around her friend, trying to comfort her. Sydney hugged Francie back, sobbing uncontrollably, releasing the pent up emotions from the last few days. 

When Sydney was finally able to compose herself, she replied, _"When we landed in LA I got a phone call. My boss's wife Emily died last night." _

Francie looked at her friend sympathetically, _"Oh, Syd, I'm so sorry."_

Sydney wiped the tears away from her eyes. _"After my mother died, Emily became like a surrogate mother to me. She would take me out to the park or to the beach, trying to make me happy again. She was so wonderful to me. And I loved her so much." _

Sydney's voice caught. _"I can't believe she's really gone." _

Francie grabbed Sydney's hand, _"If there's anything I can do for you, just ask." _

Sydney smiled at her friend, _"Thanks Francie, but I'm going to try and contact Emily's daughter. She's all the way in England by herself."_

Sydney got up to leave the room, but stopped when the phone rang. _"Joey's Pizza."_

Sydney felt her eye's fill with tears. _"Wrong number."_

Francie rolled her eyes at Sydney and said, _"I know I've been saying this for a while now, but we have GOT to change our number."_

Sydney managed a smile as she said, _"You know what? I'm going to go for a drive. Clear my head. I probably shouldn't bother Audrey anyway. I'm sure she's making plans to come back to LA and I don't want to distract her." _

Francie nodded, _"That's a good idea. Do you want me to come with you?"_

Sydney shook her head, _"Thanks Francie, but I really need to be alone right now."_

Abandoned Warehouse 

Sydney walked into the familiar warehouse building, wishing that she was here to meet Vaughn instead of some random CIA agent. She walked towards their usual spot and gasped when she saw who was there. It was Will and Agent Weiss. 

_"Oh my God, Will! Thank goodness you're alright!" _Sydney threw her arms around him, _"I'm so sorry this had to happen. I wish I could have told you the truth about everything from the beginning." _

Sydney let go of Will and looked him over. His face and jaw were swollen and he had a black eye and numerous bruises. _"They hurt you so bad. I'm sorry." _

Will managed to grin at Sydney, _"You should have seen me before they let me change my clothes."_

Agent Weiss interrupted Sydney and Will's reunion, _"What happened with Agent Vaughn? We know that you and your father arrived home an hour ago, but no one knows anything about Vaughn. Is he alive?"_

Sydney looked down, _"He was when we left."_

Weiss's eyebrows shot up, _"When you left? You mean you left him there alone. How could you? What happened?" _

Will interrupted, _"Who's Agent Vaughn?" _

Sydney looked at Will and responded, _"Agent Vaughn is my handler. And friend."_

She turned to Weiss, _"You know we wouldn't have left him there on purpose.  We were attacked by a number of armed soldiers and had to get out of there as quickly as possible. He had been knocked unconscious and we were not able to reach him in order to take him with us." _

Weiss exasperatedly threw up his hands, _"This is unbelievable. They're going to kill him, you know." _

Sydney shook her head, _"I don't think so, my mother will see him as a bargaining tool in order to get me back." _

Will's head shot up, _"Your mother? I thought she was dead."_

Sydney glanced at him and said, _"That's a long story, suffice to say, she's alive and kicking. And The Man." _

Now it was Weiss's turn to glance up, _"Your mother is The Man. This is just wonderful. Look, Will  has a doctor's appointment to get to, so we have to leave, but Sydney, I'm warning you. Get in contact with Devlin immediately."_

Sydney nodded at Weiss and reached over to hug Will, _"Don't worry about anything, okay. Everything will be alright."_

Taipei

**Warehouse District- Club- Back Office**

Sark pulled Agent Vaughn up from off the floor and laid him out on the couch. Then he bent down to examine Vaughn's head wound, _"This doesn't look so good, Mother. There's a lot of swelling and he's starting to get awfully pale. I think he's shivering too. If you want to keep him alive I think he should be seen to by  a doctor." _

Laura nodded at Sark, _"Alexander has already called for one. He should be arriving shortly."_

Sark looked up at his mother, _"How exactly are we going to let Sydney know Vaughn is still alive. I myself am quite fond of a phone call while the captive screams for mercy in the background, but since he's unconscious we obviously can't do that. So what do we do now, a videotape perhaps?" _

Laura shook her head at her over eager son, _"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we need a doctor to come. Agent Vaughn is no good to us if he's dead."_

Los Angeles

Arvin Sloane's Home 

Audrey stood outside the door to her father's office. He was on the phone yelling at somebody. Audrey sat down in the hall while she waited for him to finish his conversation, cringing as she took in the tone of his voice. 

She muttered, _"I'd hate to be that guy."_

Sloane continued yelling at the unsuspecting underling on the phone. _"I don't care what you are doing. Find him for me NOW! I don't have to tell you why I want to speak with him… Yes, you do that. And let Agent Dreyer know that if he doesn't contact me IMMEDIATELY there will be hell to pay." _

Sloane slammed the phone down and leaned back in his chair. _"How could I have let this happen? I should have known I couldn't trust Dreyer." _

Sloane stopped muttering to himself when he heard a knock at the door, _"Come in sweetie." _

Audrey tentatively approached her father's desk. _"If you're busy I can come back later." _

Sloane gestured for her to sit down in the chair across from him, _"Nothing is more important than you. Is something the matter?" _

Audrey nervously looked at her father, _"Well, in the car you said that you wanted to finish our conversation, so here I am."_

_"I need you to tell me everything you know about SD-6. Tell me how you were contacted, how you were trained, the names of other agents you have been in contact with. Don't leave anything out."_ Sloane leaned forward, staring into his daughter's eyes. 

Audrey began. _"Well, lets see. As I said I was first contacted in October of my sophomore year. I was coming out of one of my classes. I think it was Greek and Roman Architecture, which was one of my favorite classes, by the way. The subject matter was just fascinating. Did you know that the Parthenon was…"_

Audrey stopped talking when her father sighed, _"Um, sorry. That's a conversation for another day. Anyway, I was coming out of that class when a man came up to me and asked me if I wanted to join the CIA. I, of course, didn't believe him. He seemed like one of those desperate guys who will say anything to get lai… a date. So when he started telling me all about you and Credit Dauphine, I knew he was telling me the truth." _

Audrey took a breath and was interrupted by Sloane, _"What did this man say about Credit Dauphine?"_

_"Well basically he explained that Credit Dauphine was a front for SD-6. He said that SD-6 was a clandestine branch of the CIA and that with recommendations from various members of the CIA and SD-6, he had come to recruit me. I, of course, was still skeptical, but he told me things that led me to believe he was telling the truth."_ Audrey stopped for a minute to think. 

_"What kinds of things did this man tell you? I need to know specifics."_ Sloane asked. 

Audrey continued. _"The bulk of what he talked about was SD-6's involvement with K-Directorate. The little cat and mouse game you all have going with various pieces of information and weaponry. And the FTL, which I understand has been dealt with of late."_

Sloane got up and began pacing across the room, _"And this man, who was he? Was it Dreyer?" _

Audrey shook her head, _"No I met Agent Dreyer a few days later. The man I first met was named Agent Wright."_

_"Well I've never met him."_ Sloane replied. _"Tell me about your training." _

Audrey made herself more comfortable in her chair and continued, _"I was trained in a number of the martial art forms; Jujitsu was where I excelled though. Kickboxing was another favorite. Apparently all those years of ballet training helped me with my balance and stamina. Since I was already fluent in Spanish and French but only had an adequate grasp of Russian, I was given lessons. I also took up learning Japanese in my spare time." _

Audrey stopped talking when she saw the look her father was giving her. _"Anyway, then there were the lessons in problem solving and things of that ilk. I wasn't very fond of them, but I was told that they were mandatory."_

Audrey trailed off and looked at Sloane expectantly, _"Did they tell you anything else about the operations of SD-6?"_ Sloane questioned. 

Audrey shook her head, _"Nothing about your field work, they said I would learn that when the time was right. But I do know that Sydney Bristow works for you."_

End episode three.


	4. Chapter Four: Learning Things

Chapter Four- Learning Things

Los Angeles

Abandoned Warehouse- Parking Lot 

As Sydney left the warehouse where she had met with Will and Agent Weiss, her cell phone rang. _"Great, I bet it's Devlin. Just the man I want to talk to," _Sydney groaned. _"Hello?"._

_"Sydney? It's Dixon."_ Sydney gasped, in all that had happened recently she'd completely forgotten about their confrontation that night at the waterfront. 

_"Hi, Dixon. It's good to hear from you. How are you doing?"_ Sydney replied and then groaned at her lame question.  

"Look, Sydney, I'm not calling you to chat. Meet me at the Observatory in a half an hour. If you're not there, I'm reporting you to Security Section. I don't want to have to do that, but your actions have given me no choice." 

With that Dixon hung up. Sydney walked over to her car and got in. As she started the car her cell phone rang again, _"What?"_ she snapped. 

_"Sydney? What's wrong now? You sound upset?"_ Jack asked. 

_"Dad, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just got off the phone with Dixon. If I don't tell him the truth, he's going to report me." _

_"I just met with Devlin. And I told him everything. He knows about what happened in Taipei and about Agent Vaughn and your mother. He also knows about Dixon's suspicions. You have clearance to tell Dixon the truth about SD-6 and your involvement with the CIA,"_ Jack responded. 

_"Really?" _Sydney asked, _"What's the catch? That sounds too easy. Devlin wants me to do something, doesn't he?" _

Sydney heard Jack sigh loudly. _"Devlin wants Dixon to be brought into the CIA. I'm not too sure that's the best solution, but it's what Devlin wants." _

_"Why don't you want Dixon working as a double agent with us?"_ Sydney asked. 

_"I'm just not sure we can completely trust him,"_ Jack replied. 

"Not trust him? Dad, this is Dixon we're talking about. I trust the man with my life on a regular basis. Has he done something to make you wary of him?" 

Jack sighed, _"It's not what he has done, it's more like what he hasn't done." _

_"What do you mean?"_ Sydney asked. 

_"Well, he says he's been suspicious of you for a very long time. Why has he waited so long to confront you?"_ Jack asked. 

"_I don't know, maybe he just wasn't sure of anything. Look I have to get to my meeting with him, what should I do?"_

There was a long pause while Jack thought about the situation. _"Tell him everything. Offer him the job with the CIA, if he still doesn't believe you send him to me." _

_"Okay Dad. Thanks."_ Sydney hung up and made her way towards the Griffith Observatory.

Griffith Observatory 

Sydney walked up to Dixon who was gazing out at the Los Angeles skyline. _"Kind of strange being here by ourselves, isn't it?"_ Sydney asked.  _"I can't wait to see what the place will look like when the renovations are finished." _

Dixon didn't even look at Sydney. He turned to confront her. _"I'm not here to make small talk with you Syd. You have to tell me what's going on. People have been talking about how strange you've been acting lately. They think you're still upset over losing Danny, but I know you're hiding something. What happened last week confirmed my suspicions. You need to tell me who you're working for. Why did you have the code name Freelancer when I was shot?" _

Sydney took a deep breath and told Dixon the truth. _"SD-6 is not what you think it is. We've been lied to by the people we thought we could trust the most. SD-6 is NOT a covert branch of the CIA, it's a member of a group called The Alliance. The Alliance is run by a group of men who have left their respective intelligence agencies to form what is basically a mafia-like group.  They deal in anything you can think of; weapons of mass destruction, scientific equipment, biological weapons, and intelligence." _

Sydney paused, as she watched the emotions move across Dixon's face. Doubt, fear, shock, horror; Sydney had felt them all. She remembered all too well how horrible it felt to be told these things for the first time. 

"Danny was murdered because I told him what I did for a living. It was only after I learned what had really happened to Danny that I approached the real CAI. They showed me this… map of The Alliances operations. Dixon, I'd never seen anything like that before. They have their hands in every sort of field you can dream of. They have access to anything they need to cause huge problems in our country and abroad. So for the last year or so, I've been doing counter missions for the CIA. I've been feeding them as much information as I could without revealing myself as a mole. Dixon, I need you to believe that what I'm telling you is true. If you go to SD-6 and report me, all my months of work will be for nothing. You have to understand, Arvin Sloane will kill me if he finds out what I've been doing."

Sydney finally stopped talking and looked Dixon in the eye. _"So now you know everything. SD-6 is not what you think it is. You're working for the bad guys without even knowing it. That can change though. I've been given clearance by the Deputy Director to offer you a job with the CIA. You'd be a double agent inside SD-6, like myself. And my father." _

Dixon finally spoke to  Sydney. _"That's quite a story."_  

"It's the truth, Dixon. I know you don't want to believe me, but I swear I'm not lying to you." 

Dixon sighed and closed his eyes.  _"You've given me a lot to think about."_ He went back to staring out at the city. _"I… need to be alone for a while. I'll give you a call when I've decided what to do." _

Sydney turned to leave. _"I'll be waiting."_

Taipei

Warehouse District- Club- Back Office 

The doctor turned towards Laura and Sark and said, _"Well you're in luck. He doesn't have any permanent damage. He's comatose at the moment, though. And he'll stay that way until the swelling in his brain goes down."_

Laura sighed unhappily, _"How long until he regains consciousness?"_

The doctor looked down at Agent Vaughn again, _"A coma is a very tricky thing. The body may be ready to wake up in a few hours, but the mind could take longer. He has to be mentally ready to wake."_

The doctor was interrupted by Laura, _"So how long?" _

The doctor shrugged, _"Could be a few hours, could be a few days. I'm not sure." _

Laura made a motion for the doctor to leave the room, _"Thank you for your time, Doctor. We appreciate it. Mr. Khasinau will show you out." _Khasinau ushered the man out of the room while an impatient Laura glanced down at Vaughn.

_"A lot of help he was. Damn it! Everything is going to be ruined, I can feel it."_ Laura paced back and forth staring at Vaughn as if that would be the way to wake him up. 

_"Calm down Mother. Now is not the time to get anxious. We will get Sydney back. Even if we have to wait a little longer."_ Sark patted his mother's arm in an effort to ease her tension. 

"I know I'm being silly. It's just that we had everything we needed for the device to begin to function properly and then it all was ruined. Now thanks to your sister we have to rebuild the device, which could take months. And we have to find Sydney again. It feels like everything is falling apart." 

Laura got up to leave the room and gestured at Agent Vaughn. _"He'll be a great help though."_

Los Angeles

Arvin Sloane's Home 

Arvin Sloane gazed at his daughter, marveling at the fact that she knew so much about his life, and had now become so tangled in it, in a way he could have never foreseen. _"Yes it's true. Sydney does work for me. She's been a wonderful asset to SD-6. She's done a lot of good." _

Audrey nodded. _"Which brings me back to the reason I want to work for SD-6. I want to do good. I know I can help you." _

Sloane shook his head, _"No, absolutely not.  This life is much too dangerous for you." _

Audrey quickly interrupted, _"I'm not asking to be sent on some life or death mission on my first day, Dad. But I am very well trained. I assure you I could handle myself in any situation. Do you really think that I could work at that magazine knowing that I could be out there doing some good, feeling like I was making a difference in this world? I know I can help you. In many ways.  Give me a desk job, I don't care. I just want to do SOMETHING."_

At that moment the phone on Sloane's desk rang. _"We'll finish this later." _

Audrey nodded and left the room. 

Sloane picked up the phone, _"Hello? You haven't been able to contact Dreyer? Fine, put me through to Security Section…. Yes, hello. It appears we've had a breech. I need someone eliminated."_

Safe House 

Will glanced around the safe house where Agent Weiss had taken him after his doctor's appointment. He walked over to the mirror and started talking to whoever was beyond it, _"Why can't I go home yet? It's not like you people will be able to protect me. Anyone remember last time? You know when I was kidnapped by some crazy guy with a tranquilizer gun. The same guy who tied me to a chair and had some even more crazy son of a bitch with a tooth fetish perform surgery on me. While I was still CONCIOUS! I can't believe…"_ Will's rant was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

_"Oh, no! There is no way that I am going to open that door,"_ Will hollered. 

"Will, it's me. Let me in." 

Will hurried over to the door and threw it open. _"Sydney! You have to get me out of here. I can't stand it anymore. You have to let me go home." _

Sydney shook her head and sat down, _"Will you've only been here an hour. Calm down."_

Will blushed a little, looking sheepish for the way he had accosted Sydney.  _"I'm on pain medication, it makes me jumpy. But I DO really want to go home." _

Sydney took Will's hand, _"You can't go home just yet. We need to be one hundred percent sure that everything is safe there. Soon though." _

Will laughed, _"You think those people took the time to booby trap my house after they kidnapped me? That's ridiculous." _

Sydney smiled at Will, _"We just want to make sure that there aren't any more threats on your life. You'll go home eventually, don't worry." _

Sydney stopped talking when her phone rang. _"I have to answer this, it's important. Hello? Dixon hi, have you made a decision?… That's wonderful news!… Yes, we'll set up a meeting for you with Devlin. You'll get all the information you need then…And Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for believing me. I'm so sorry that I've had to lie to you for so long, but I was never allowed to tell you until now…I appreciate that, bye." _

Sydney hung up her phone and smiled happily, at least she wouldn't have to worry about Dixon anymore. 

Will sat down next to Sydney and asked, _"What next?"_

Sydney glanced up. _"What do you mean what next?"_ she asked. 

"I mean what do I do now? These people, your mother and whoever else she's working with know all about me. Can I really go back to my job at the newspaper?" 

Sydney took Will's hand, _"I'm going to be honest with you, Will. I don't think it will be safe. Basically you have two options; joining the Witness Protection Program or becoming a CIA agent."_

Will laughed, _"My two options are just wonderful. My career is ruined either way. So whichever decision I make, I'm still screwed. What do you think I should do?"_

Sydney looked Will in the eye, "_As much I love you Will, I think you should leave and join the Witness Protection Program. I mean think about it, which life is better? You could be somewhere living safely away from all this mess or you could be right in the thick of it, putting your life in jeopardy on a regular basis.  I couldn't bear to see something happen to you again." _

Will shook his head. "_I don't want to leave here. I just can't disappear from this place forever. Los Angeles is my home." _

_"So you're saying that you want to join the CIA?"_ Sydney asked. 

"I don't know what I want anymore Syd."

Mitchell Brothers Funeral Home 

Two days passed without any contact from Laura or Sark, Sydney was beginning to worry that they had already killed Agent Vaughn.  She couldn't think about that now though. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door, dreading the next few hours. Sydney was heading to Emily's memorial. The fact that she was gone forever still hadn't completely sunken in. Sloane had not been at work Monday and Tuesday and she hadn't heard from Audrey either. It just wouldn't seem real until she had spoken to one of them. 

_"That bastard Sloane is the cause of this. He's made a mess of Audrey's life,"_ Sydney thought as she pulled up outside the funeral home. 

She got out of her car and headed towards the hall where the memorial was located, stopping when she noticed someone hovering in the entrance hall. 

_"Audrey!"_ Sydney exclaimed, _"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry." _

Audrey turned and hugged Sydney, _"Thanks, Syd. Yeah, it's been hard. I can't believe this is really happening." _

Sydney hugged Audrey back hard, _"I'm so sorry I didn't call. I just figured you wouldn't want to be bothered while you were trying to find a way to get back home." _

Audrey shook her head. _"I wasn't in England when Mom died, I was here. I came back because I needed to talk to my father about something, and when I got home… well you know the story. I was going to call you, but I just needed to be alone for a while. I drove to Malibu yesterday and pretty much spent the entire day staring out at the waves. Surprisingly, it made me feel a little bit better." _

Sydney nodded, understanding that need to escape all too well. _"It's good that you did that. Being alone helps sometimes."_

Audrey agreed, "_That it does."_ Audrey paused and glanced hesitantly at the entrance. _"I guess we should go inside."_

They both went inside and went through the motions. Sydney and Audrey spent their time saying hello to Emily's friends, consoling long lost family members, and trying not to cry. Jack, who dropped in for a short time, noticed that they both carefully tried to avoid any interaction with Sloane. The hours passed and it was soon time to go home. Everyone said their goodbyes and went home to prepare for Emily's funeral. 

Los Angeles Memorial Cemetery 

Thursday morning dawned bright, sunny, and unseasonably warm. Sydney spent the morning grumbling about how wrong this was, _"It shouldn't be like this,"_ she said to Francie, _"One of the most wonderful people in my life is dead and the world keeps going on like nothing has happened. She should be here on a day like this. When I would visit Emily at her house she was always saying how she couldn't wait for the warm weather so the three of us- Emily, Audrey, and me- could have a picnic in the park."_

Sydney laughed, remembering. "_We always used to do that when Audrey and I were kids. I'd always pretend that Emily was my mother and Audrey was my little sister. Everything was so happy then. Now…"_

Sydney trailed off as the tears that were threatening all morning finally fell. 

_"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?" _

Sydney hugged Francie, _"Thanks, but no. I really should get going anyway."_

"Emily Sloane's time on this earth was short, but beautiful. There were so many lives made better by her presence. Every one of us here today has so many stories to tell about Emily and her wonderful…" 

The minister's voice trailed off as Sydney focused her attention on Audrey and Arvin Sloane.  They were standing closest to Emily's casket. Audrey was gripping Sloane's arm tightly as she gazed at Emily's coffin with tears flowing down her cheeks.  It angered Sydney to see Audrey leaning so heavily on her father. 

"_If she only knew what kind of person he really was,"_ Sydney thought to herself. 

Sydney glanced at her own father who gave her a small consoling smile.  He reached over and squeezed her hand quickly, giving Sydney more comfort from that gesture than he ever knew he could. 

"_Thank you for coming Sydney,"_ Sloane said as he hugged her after Emily's funeral. _"I'm sorry I didn't get to speak with you yesterday at the memorial." _

Sydney nodded. _"So am I, there were just so many people there."_ She paused awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. Sydney gestured towards a red-eyed Audrey standing a few feet away talking with Jack. _"How's she holding up?"_

Sloane sighed. _"This has been very difficult on her. Did she tell you she was in the room when Emily died? I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing. At least she got to say goodbye. They were always so close."_

Sloane trailed off as Audrey approached them. _"Hey sweetie. Are you alright?"_

Audrey managed to smile at her father. _"I'm okay Daddy. Please don't worry about me."_

Sloane nodded. _"I'll let you two talk then."_

They both watched as he walked over to Jack and began a conversation.  Audrey closed her eyes and sighed, _"Thank God this part is over. I don't know how I survived." _

_"This is always the worst part,"_ Sydney replied. 

Audrey nodded. _"They say it gets easier, but I'm not sure how. I can't imagine my life without her."_

Sydney sighed. _"It's difficult at first, but I promise you it will get better. I know you'll never forget your mother, neither will I, but every day won't be as painful as today is." _

Sloane walked back over and said, _"Audrey it's time to leave, I'll be in the car."_

Audrey nodded at her father and responded, _"I'll be right there."_

Audrey turned back to Sydney and hugged her, slipping a note into her hand as she did so, _"Thank you, Syd. For everything."_ Sydney nodded and pocketed the note, curious as to what Audrey had written.

Malibu

Beach Parking Lot 

Sydney took in the panoramic view of the beach and ocean as she approached Audrey. _"It sure is beautiful out here." _

Audrey turned around and smiled, _"I'm sorry to drag you all the way out here, but I needed to talk to you someplace private."_ They both stood there for a while watching the waves break against the shore. 

Sydney finally broke the silence. _"Is something wrong?"_

Audrey shook her head. _"No Syd, something's right for a change."_

She paused and began walking closer to the ocean. 

Crouching down to pick up a shell, Audrey looked up at Sydney, _"All my life I've felt like I was put on this planet to do something."_ Audrey and Sydney both sat down on the sand. _"Now I finally know what." _

Sydney glanced at Audrey, a confused look on her face. _"What do you mean?"_

Audrey smiled. _"When I was a sophomore in college I  was recruited by SD-6. I start work there on Monday."_

Sydney gasped.

End Episode Four


	5. Chapter Five: Pieces of the Puzzle

Chapter Five- Pieces of the Puzzle

Malibu

_"This can't be happening," _Sydney thought to herself as she stared at her friend. _"Audrey, you need to listen to me. Go back to London as fast as you can. Tonight even. Forget about SD-6. You don't want my life." _

Audrey laughed softly and went back to staring out at the ocean. _"You sound just like Dad." _

Sydney narrowed her eyes. _"Did he bring you into this?"_

Audrey avoided Sydney's gaze. _"No. He's as adamant about my going back to London as you are. At least he was up until yesterday, then it was all "welcome to the company." I don't know why he changed his tune so quickly, but I'm happy about it." _

Audrey turned to face Sydney. _"What is the problem with this? I know that working for the CIA is dangerous, but you people make it seem like the bad guys are going to hunt me down and kill me. And anyway, it's not like I'm going to be a field agent like you Syd. Dad said he was going to have me doing research.  I'll be working with some guy named Marshall. So don't worry." _

Sydney gave a little sigh of relief at hearing that. _"How did you come to learn about SD-6?" _

Audrey sifted sand through her fingers as she responded. _"I was recruited in college. Like you."_

Sydney's eyebrows shot up in surprise, _"How did you know that?" _

Audrey smiled at her. _"There are a lot of things I know Syd."_

Before Sydney could question Audrey, her beeper went off. _"I should call back right away. It's my father." _

Audrey nodded and got up to walk down the beach. _"Hi, Dad. What's going on?"_ Sydney asked.  

Jack anxiously replied, _"We received a video in an e-mail about an hour ago. It's from your mother." _

Sydney gasped. _"What was on it? Did she mention Vaughn?"._

_"That's the thing Sydney, we need you to open it,"_ Jack replied. 

_"What do you mean? Why aren't you able to open it?"_ Sydney asked. 

Jack responded, _"In the note that accompanied the video your mother wrote that only you would know the password. She sent a question along in the e-mail. Apparently the answer to that question will unlock the video." _

Sydney rolled her eyes. It was just like her mother to do something like this.

Jack went on. _"What is this? Does she think this is funny? I don't like what she's doing, playing these mind games with you."_

Jack trailed off, allowing Sydney to speak, _"Don't worry Dad, I will not allow her to have any affect on me. Now, tell me. What was the question in the e-mail?" _

_"She wants to know "What didn't you see?". I'm assuming this has something to do with the prophecy. Look, I don't like discussing this over the phone so just get down here to CIA headquarters as soon as you can", _Jack demanded.

_"I'll get there soon, but I'm in Malibu at the moment, so it might take a while"_, Sydney responded. 

"What are you doing in Malibu?".

 Sydney sighed and glanced back up, seeing Audrey approaching her, _"I can't talk about that now, Dad. But it has something to do with Audrey and SD-6." _

_"What!!?"_ Jack practically bellowed, _"If that bastard Sloane has pulled his daughter into this mess…"_

Sydney interrupted her father before he could say anything else. _"Dad, Dad, calm down!" _Sydney said. _"I'll explain when I see you later. I have to go now, okay. Bye."  _Sydney hung up quickly, before Jack could launch into another anti-Sloane tirade.

_"Everything alright, Syd?"_ Audrey asked as she sat back down in the sand. _"You look a little upset."_

Sydney shook her head, _"No, I'm okay. I just got a call  from my dad. He has some information about a friend of mine who is in trouble and he wants me to come back to LA to look it over." _

Audrey nodded her head and fiddled with the conch shell she had found along the water, looking like she was going to cry. 

"I should be the one asking if you are alright, Audrey. Is there anything I can do for you?".  

_"No, Sydney, I'm okay. I was just thinking…"_ Audrey trailed off for a moment, trying to compose herself. "_I was just thinking about how wrong everything has gone in the past week. I was happy in England, really I was. I had a boyfriend, good friends, I was going to start a great job at a magazine soon. Then I get a call from Agent Dreyer saying I was needed at SD-6. And I come home to find that everything has changed.  It's just hard to fathom." _

Sydney nodded in agreement, _"I know how you feel. When Danny died, for months afterward, it just felt like everything had gone into a tailspin that I couldn't get out of. I know everyone has been saying this to you all the time over the past few days, but it DOES get better." _

_"I know Syd, really."_ Audrey sighed. _"God, I'm sorry Sydney, talking about how happy I was with my boyfriend after… what happened." _

Sydney gave an awkward chuckle. "_It's okay to talk about stuff like that around me. Yes, losing Danny still hurts, but it's getting easier to talk about this kind of stuff. Now, tell me, what's your boyfriend like?" _

Audrey smiled for the first time in a while. _"His name is Alex. He was a couple of years ahead of me at Oxford. We met in the library when we were both looking for the same book about Socrates. He's a great guy Syd, you'd like him." _

Sydney gave Audrey a big smile. _"I'm sure I will. And it's great that you've found somebody you care about." Sydney and Audrey both stood up. "I should go now, I've got to see my dad,"_ Sydney said. 

_"Right. Good luck with your friend's situation. And thanks for coming all the way out here."_

Sydney reached over to give Audrey a hug. _"You're family Ree,"_ Sydney said, using Audrey's childhood nickname. _"I'll always be there for you." _

Audrey smiled softly, _"Thanks Syd. Bye."_

Dublin

Downtown- Laura Bristow's Office 

_"Alexander!"_ Laura Bristow yelled. _"Come here. Quickly."_

She then rolled her eyes when she saw both Khasinau and Sark coming towards her. She shook her head in an amused fashion, regretting her decision to name her son after her cousin.  

_"What's going on Mother? Is something the matter?"_ Sark asked. 

Laura chuckled a little, shaking her head, _"It seems that our trip has done Agent Vaughn some good. I think he's finally waking up."_

The three glanced down at Vaughn who was beginning to move his arms and legs. 

_"He couldn't have done that a couple of hours ago?"_ Khasinau asked. 

Sark nodded his head. _"Yeah, our little home video would have been so much more entertaining had he been coherent."_

Laura cast the two men a sharp look. _"Both of you shut up! He's waking."_

She walked over to the side of Agent Vaughn's bed and smiled down at the him, as he slowly opened his eyes. _"Welcome back to the land of the living Agent Vaughn. You've missed quite a bit."_

Los Angeles

CIA Headquarters 

             Jack walked up to Sydney, _"Sydney, you're here. Good. We've had agents trying to open the video without entering a password while we were waiting for you, but they've had no luck. Come into the office and have a look."  _

Sydney greeted the agents who had been trying to open the video, sat down at the computer and read through the short e-mail. She read, _"You have something I want. I have something you want. Now tell me dear, what didn't you see? Your answer will unlock the accompanying video."_

Sydney sighed loudly and asked, "_What is it that I have that she wants? She obviously knows more about Rambaldi than me.  She knows more about SD-6 than me. I don't have anything." _

Jack sat down next to his daughter, _"I can't answer that question Sydney, but maybe the video will. Can you think of any answers to that question?" _

Sydney was lost in thought. _"It could be anything. A town, a landmark, or a body of water maybe. But I really don't think that she would be so obvious as to choose an answer like that.  It needs to be something more tricky. She was telling me that I didn't see what I need… that's it! The answer to the question of what I didn't see is… that I didn't see what I needed to!" _

Jack glanced at his daughter and then back at the computer monitor, _"Are you absolutely sure? We're afraid that if we type in the wrong answer the video will erase itself from the computer."_

A look of doubt crossed Sydney's face for a split second, but she quickly nodded at Jack. _"I'm positive."_ Jack leaned towards the computer keyboard and typed in the appropriate response. Sure enough, the video began to play. 

          Laura walked up to the camera and smirked. 

"If you're watching this you've figured out the pass word. Clever girl you are. But I can't say I'm surprised. You are my daughter after all. Now it seems we've stumbled into a quagmire of sorts.  We both have something the other wants. You've left your Agent Vaughn in my care. I'm sure you'll be wanting him back. And that will happen only if you do as I say. You are to go to New York, Strawberry Fields to be precise, on Saturday at six in the evening to learn of your further instructions. Come alone. One of my associates will meet with you. If he sees that you have not followed my instructions and have brought someone with you, that person will be shot by nearby snipers. So you don't forget about what is at stake, I'll allow you a brief glimpse of Agent Vaughn." 

The camera pulled back to reveal Agent Vaughn lying still on a bed.  It then pulled into a tighter shot to reveal that he was in fact breathing. 

Sark walked into the shot and addressed the camera, "_Our doctor informed us that your friend Agent Vaughn has suffered a fair amount of brain damage and is comatose at the moment. But don't fret. He could wake up at any moment. I keep wanting to test that theory by shooting at the wall behind his head, but Mum won't let me."_

Sark moved away from the camera as it focused on Laura once again. _"So my dear, make your decision. Give me what I want and you'll get Agent Vaughn back. If we don't meet with you in New York, Agent Vaughn dies. It's up to you now." _

****With that last remark, the tape finished and the computer screen went black.  

Jack and Sydney both stared at the computer screen for a few seconds and then they both began speaking at the same time, _"I have to…"_ Sydney began. 

_"There is no way that you…"_ Jack started to say.  

Jack held up a hand and continued to speak, _"There is no way that I will allow you to meet with one of your mother's cronies alone." _

Sydney sighed exasperatedly. _"Dad, I have to. You heard what she said, if I don't meet with the contact, she'll kill Agent Vaughn. I can't allow that to happen. If I don't do everything in my power to get him home safe and he dies, I'll never be able to live with the guilt of losing him." _

_"But Sydney…" _Jack began. 

Sydney shook her head and interrupted her father_, "No, Dad! I have to do this. You're not going to talk me into changing my mind."_ Sydney got up and left the room with Jack following right after her. 

"Remember what I said about your cavalier attitude, Sydney? Well, here it is again." 

Sydney whirled around to face Jack, _"How the hell am I being cavalier, Dad? Why is it so careless of me to want to bring Agent Vaughn back home? I can't believe you. Look, you are not going to stop me from going to New York. End of discussion."_

_"Sydney Bristow, I am your father and I will not have you speak to me in that manner!"_ Jack yelled. 

Sydney chuckled and responded, _"Do you really think that you have the right to play that card? I'm twenty-eight years old, I'm not a child. You do not have the right to tell me anything!"_

"You are my child Sydney, that's my right! I can't watch you go into a potential deathtrap alone to save a man who could already be dead."  

Sydney took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. _"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I'm still going, I'll wear a wire and you'll be able to hear everything, but you can't stop me from going. Vaughn has been my biggest support system for the past few months, I can't just give up on him. He wouldn't give up on me." _

Jack closed his eyes and sighed, knowing that once Sydney made up her mind, nothing would stop her. He looked her in the eyes, _"I don't want you to think that I'm giving up on rescuing Agent Vaughn. I'm not. We just need to be careful. I don't like to see you making rash decisions.  I'm going with you." _

Sydney shook her head. _"But you heard what she said." _

_"They won't shoot me",_ Jack responded and then dropped his voice to a whisper. _"When I spoke with you before, you mentioned something about Audrey Sloane being involved with SD-6. I want you to tell me about that, but not here."_

He took hold of Sydney's arm and led her out of the building. Once they were far enough away from the entrance, Jack resumed his line of questioning, _"Did she say how she found out about SD-6?"_

"She said that she was recruited in college by Agent Dreyer." 

Jack shook his head angrily. _"That bastard! I always knew there was something wrong with him. The way he went after you when he thought you were the mole, his behavior towards myself and Sloane. He knew he had something that he could hold over our heads." _

Sydney tried to follow Jack's train of thought. _"What are you talking about, Dad? I mean, I know why he would want to punish Sloane, but why you?" _

"We have a past Sydney. When I first began working at SD-6 I went to Sloane and told him I was suspicious of Dreyer's behavior. He was behaving strangely; leaving headquarters at odd hours, not being where he was supposed to be when he was off work, little things that made me suspicious." 

_"Well, what happened?"_ Sydney asked.  

_"I tailed him for a few days and found that he was meeting with someone who had ties to K-Directorate. I went to Sloane with the information, but I was never able to prove that he was selling information."_ Jack replied. 

_"I still don't understand what bringing Audrey into SD-6 has to do with you." _Sydney asked.  

_"Well, Audrey is my goddaughter."_ Jack replied.  _"He thinks bringing her into SD-6 will be payback."_

_"But what about Sloane? What does Dreyer have against him?" _Sydney asked. 

_"That I don't know. Maybe he knows what SD-6 really is and is trying to blackmail him into giving him a position in The Alliance."_ Jack responded. 

"So what do we do about Audrey? She obviously doesn't know about The Alliance." 

Jack sighed and paused before responding, _"I'll speak to Devlin about it , then we'll decide how to proceed."_

_"I think we should bring her in to the CIA."_ Sydney said.

End Episode Five.


	6. Chapter Six: Decisions

Chapter Six- Decisions

Los Angeles

Safe House 

               Will paced across the safe house's wood floor for what felt like the one thousandth time today. He walked up to the observation mirror, leaned against it, and sighed. 

"You said I could go home tomorrow. That was on Monday. In case you haven't noticed, in…" Will glanced down at his watch, "two hours it will be Thursday. Now I know the government can be kind of slow about doing things, but this is getting ridiculous.  I know you people are out there because I can hear one of you coughing and I also know that you haven't forgotten about me since you've been feeding me regularly—which is very nice by the way, thanks—so why don't one of you come in here and answer my questions." 

Will glared into the mirror for a second and then resumed his pacing. 

"You're keeping me here because you don't know what to do with me, is that it? You think that if you leave me to my own devices for too long, I'll do something stupid again. Or maybe you think that Sydney's supposedly long dead mother or some SD-6 member will come hunt me down and blow my head off. Or do you think that by keeping me locked up here for long enough, I'll have enough time to think about how unsafe my life is and decide to join the Witness Protection Program? Well that's not going to happen." 

Will stopped pacing and stared straight into the glass, _"I've already told you, I want to work for the CIA."_

Outside CIA Headquarters  Jack and Sydney walked towards Sydney's car, continuing their conversation. "How can you think that making Audrey a double agent is a good idea? She's Sloane's daughter, Sydney." 

Sydney paused at her car door, _"Dad this is Audrey we're talking about.  She's like a sister to me, she's your goddaughter—she's family." _

Jack sighed, _"Sydney, think about what you're saying. I know you care for her, but we have to be careful. There are already too many people who know about our double agent status. With such close contact how can we be sure that she wouldn't accidentally let some information slip? Sloane is a manipulative bastard, if he thinks she's hiding something, he'll find a way to get the information out of her." _

Sydney looked at Jack with a mixture of disbelief and horror on her face, _"Do you really think that he would harm his own daughter?"_

Jack shrugged, _"He killed his wife. Look, Sydney, it is way too soon to even be discussing this. I understand that  you want to trust Audrey, but can you even say you really know her anymore? Look at what she's kept hidden from her father. I can't allow ourselves to get into a situation where our cover could be blown."_

Sydney nodded at Jack. _"I understand. It was silly of me to even suggest telling Audrey the truth."_ She paused and glanced down at her watch. _"I should go now, with all that's happened in the last couple of days I haven't had the chance to visit Will."_

Dublin

Downtown- Laura Bristow's Office 

              Laura, Sark, and Khasinau all watched intently as Vaughn slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Laura felt a small bit of satisfaction when she heard Vaughn gasp as he took in his surroundings. 

_"How's your head?"_ she asked. 

Vaughn struggled to sit up and then looked into Laura's eyes. _"Who are you? Who am I?"_

Sark snorted and pulled out his gun and waved it around in Vaughn's face. _"Don't play that game with us Agent Vaughn.  You know perfectly well who everyone is. And the reasons why you're here." _

Vaughn closed his eyes and shook his head, attempting to block out the site of Sark and his gun. _"I swear, I have no idea what is going on. God help me, I can't remember anything!"_

Laura pulled Sark away from Vaughn and stepped closer to the trembling and visibly upset agent, _"If this is a ploy, I will kill you." _

Vaughn, near tears, responded, _"I don't know. I don't know what's going on. I can't remember my name, where I live, anything. And I really don't know why you people are standing over me waving guns in my face."_

Sark reached into Vaughn's jacket and pulled out his CIA ID, _"Maybe this will refresh your memory,"_ he said as he tossed the ID to Vaughn. 

Vaughn took the ID and studied it carefully, reading the  facts out loud as he did so, _"Agent Michael Vaughn. Born in Normandy France in 1968."_ Vaughn shrugged and tossed the ID back on the bed. _"How do I know this is really me?" _

Khasinau finally spoke. _"There's a picture on it."_ He added the word "idiot" in Russian under his breath. 

Laura sighed and asked incredulously, _"You don't even remember what you look like?"_

Vaughn looked like he was going to cry as he responded, _"No! I don't remember anything. Now someone please tell me what's going on." _

Khasinau looked like he was growing impatient, _"You are an agent with the CIA. We know that you are somehow involved with an SD-6 agent. That particular SD-6 agent has something we want. If she doesn't give us what we want, we will kill you. That's all you need to know."_

Vaughn took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. _"How do I know you people are telling the truth? That story of yours sounds a little far fetched." _

Sark smirked at Vaughn, _"You don't know that we're telling the truth. That's what makes this so much fun." _

With that Sark and Khasinau exited the room leaving Laura and Vaughn to stare at one another. Laura tossed Vaughn his ID again, _"Here. You hang on to this, maybe it will jog your memory. I'll come back later to see if you've remembered anything."_ Laura turned on her heel and left the room. 

Vaughn leaned back heavily against the pillows, put his hand over his eyes and muttered _"Where the hell is Sydney?"_ under his breath.

Sark paced his mother's office like a caged animal. _"He's lying. I can tell he's lying. I think we should just go in there and shoot him right now." _

Laura watched her son pace up and down the room and shook her head. Everything that had happened recently had made the usually calm and collected Sark a pile of nerves. 

She looked her son in the eye. _"Alexander please calm down. We have to take into account the fact that the man has suffered a massive head injury recently. He could very well have amnesia. Therefore we are not going to kill him." _

Sark snorted. _"So, are you developing a soft spot for Agent Vaughn? You just don't want to kill him because he's Sydney's boyfriend."_

Laura sent a reproachful glance in Sark's direction, _"That's enough Alexander. Lets just wait and see what happens." _

Los Angeles

Safe House 

               Will sat listlessly on the couch, staring at the television. The CIA agents assigned to watch him still were ignoring him, and he still hadn't heard anything from Sydney. Will's ears perked up at the sound of a knock at the door. 

_"Please let that be Sydney,"_ he muttered under his breath as he hurried to answer the door. Will threw open the door. _"Syd! Thank goodness, you're here." _

Sydney walked into the room and hugged Will. _"You look much better than the last time I saw you." _

Will half-smiled at Sydney, knowing that she was just being nice. He knew he still looked terrible; while the cuts had healed, the bruises on his face looked as painful as ever. _"Where were you? I've been here for days. Nobody answers any of my questions- hell, no one even wants to talk to me. What's going on?"_

Sydney sighed and sat down on the couch. _"I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. When I got back from Taipei, I found out Emily Sloane had died. It was just such a shock that I needed some time alone." _

Will gasped. _"Oh, Sydney, I'm so sorry. Emily seemed like such a nice woman when I met her." _

Sydney nodded, closing her eyes in order to compose herself. _"She was a wonderful person. But, I can't talk about that now. I'm here because the agents tell me that you've decided that you want to work for the CIA. I know we've discussed this before, but I still don't think it's a good idea. Can you really say that you are prepared to handle what happened  in Taipei on a regular basis? Will, I'm not saying this to scare you, but you have to understand the risks and sacrifices that come with this job. It feels like my life has turned into one endless mission.  I can't tell a friend from a foe; I don't know who to trust anymore. These people, the ones who tired to kill you, and countless others like them have turned into one faceless mass to me." _

Will looked Sydney in the eye. _"How can you stand it?"_

Sydney looked at Will thoughtfully for a while. _"Will, I'm so tired of it all, but I know that what I'm doing will make a difference. That's what gets me through every mission. Every time someone points a gun in my face or something bad happens to an ally…"_ Sydney paused, thinking of the CIA agents who were killed when Dixon blew up the building in Germany. 

She continued, _"…I think about how we are getting closer to their ultimate destruction."_

Will encouraged  Sydney, _"Sydney, you know that I'm right here to listen to you." _

Sydney closed her eyes and sighed, _"You don't want to know what happens to me."  _

Will nodded, _"I do."_

Sydney looked Will over carefully. _"Well, I can't tell you everything. You do understand that?" _

Will nodded. _"I understand. Please tell me what happened in Taipei." _

Sydney took a deep breath and answered Will. _"I was sent to Taipei on a mission. I can't tell you why, but during the course of the mission I was taken hostage by my mother." _

Will held up his hand to stop Sydney. _"Did you know that your mother had been alive all this time?". _

Sydney shook her head. _"I only discovered that she was alive recently. She had faked her own death." _

"I'm sorry Sydney, if this is difficult for you to talk about. You don't have to go any further if you don't want to." 

Sydney got up and walked over to the window. _"No, I haven't been able to talk about this with anyone for so long. It feels good to get it off my chest. Anyway, all this time I knew she was alive, but I didn't know where she was or where I could find her. I certainly did not go to Taipei thinking that I would bump into her, but events transpired. My mission to steal The Circumference did not go according to plan." _

Sydney paused, remembering the look in Agent Vaughn's eyes as he struggled against the water.  _"I was knocked unconscious by a guard and when I woke up later, there she was." _Sydney sighed and trailed off. 

"_So you're telling me that after all these years of mourning your mother, she's still alive. And now you're saying she isn't the kind of person you had always thought she was?"_, Will asked.

Sydney nodded, _"She has been the mastermind behind some pretty bad schemes. When I was in Taipei my CAI handler Agent Vaughn, was kidnapped by her. I have to go to New York on Saturday to meet with one of her contacts. Which brings me to one of the reasons why I came here- Will, I need you to stay here until Agent Vaughn is brought back home." _

Will started to protest, but Sydney continued speaking. _"Please, Will. I don't know if I'll be here to protect you if someone comes after you. You don't know what these people are capable of. Just wait until this whole ordeal is over. That's all I ask." _

Will sighed. _"I'll stay here for you. But you need to understand that I got myself into this and I need to take responsibility for my actions." _

Sydney smiled and got ready to leave. _"It's getting late and I should get ready to go home. Francie is probably wondering where I am." _

Will grabbed Sydney's arm. _"Does she know?" _

Sydney shook her head. _"Francie doesn't know anything. And I'd like to keep it that way. Goodbye, Will. I'll see you when I get back." _

Will watched Sydney walk out the door. _"Bye Syd. Be careful." _

Sydney closed the door behind her and sighed. She hated that the still had to lie to Will, she knew her mother was finished with him but she wasn't sure if SD-6 had heard about Will's story almost being printed and she didn't want to give Will something else to worry about.

SD-6 Headquarters 

              Sloane walked into his office Thursday morning and stared at the phone, willing it to ring. It had been almost four days since he had put in the call to eliminate Agent Dreyer, but the agent was nowhere to be found. Sloane sat down at his desk and tried not to break the pencil he was fiddling with. 

He was so focused on the phone, that he jumped when he heard a knock at his door. _"Come in." _

Sloane looked up to see Sydney hesitantly entering his office. _"Good morning Sydney."_ He gestured for her to come sit down. _"Have a seat." _

Sydney sat down, looking uncomfortable. _"If this is a bad time I can come back." _

Sloane shook his head. _"Now is a fine time. You're probably wondering why I wanted to see you." _

Sydney nodded. _"Well I'm sure you know by now that my daughter is coming to work here." _

Sydney nodded again, _"I spoke to her yesterday. She seemed excited about it." _

_"She is. That's the problem."_ Sloane sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes as he did so. _"All her life I've tried to shield her from this… life of ours. And then one day I find out that she has been brought into it by someone I thought I could trust." _

Sydney interrupted Sloane. _"You mean Agent Dreyer." _

Sloane nodded. _"Yes, Dreyer. Audrey tells me he recruited her while she was in college and told her to keep quiet about it.  He's being dealt with. And now that she's revealed how much she knows about SD-6 to me, I've had no choice but to bring her in. That's the last thing that I want to do, but experience indicates I have no choice. Which brings me to why I need your help. I know you are close with Audrey, so I want you to monitor her." _

_"Wait, what do you mean by monitor her? You don't trust her?"_ Sydney interrupted. 

Sloane shook his head. _"I trust her. I don't want you to tail her, if that's what you're thinking. What I want you to watch for is details of the past few years that she may mention to you in conversation." _

Sydney nodded her head, understanding Sloane as he spoke. _"You want me to get her to mention names of other SD-6 operatives she may have had contact with."_

Sloane nodded. _"Names, places, anything that you think is important. I'd appreciate it." _

_"I'll do what I can."_ Sydney glanced at Sloane. _"Is that all?"._

Sloane got up from his desk and went to open his office door. _"That's all for now." _

Sydney exited Sloane's office and went in search of Dixon. They hadn't had much time to speak with each other during the past week and Sydney was anxious to see how he was doing.  Sydney found Dixon sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen. _"Dixon, are you okay?" _

Dixon glanced up, startled. _"Yeah Syd, I'm fine. I was just thinking about… things." _

Sydney nodded knowingly, understanding how it felt to have so much information dumped on you shoulders so suddenly. _"If you ever need to talk about anything, you know I'm here."_

Dixon nodded at Sydney, giving Sydney a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, _"Thanks, Syd. I appreciate that." _

In Sloane's office, the phone on his desk rang and he quickly snatched it up. 

_"Yes… you did. Wonderful… Wouldn't admit to anything? Well I expected that… Yes, your work is appreciated… What is it?… New York? No, I have no idea why she would be going there… Tail her and keep me informed of her actions… Goodbye." _

Sloane set his phone back down, wondering why Sydney had booked herself a flight to New York.

New York

Manhattan- Central Park- Strawberry Fields 

               Sydney walked into Central Park, marveling at the fact that such a beautiful place as this could grow in the heart of a huge city.  Approaching Strawberry Fields, Sydney glanced around with the purpose of sighting her father.  Relieved that he was no where in sight, Sydney  reached her destination and stood waiting for her contact to appear.  She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Hello, Sydney." 

Turning around, Sydney was surprised to see Sark grinning at her. She raised her eyebrows and said in a surprised voice, _"So our mother has you doing her grunt work, does she?" _

Sark laughed at Sydney's comment and gestured at a nearby bench. _"I actually volunteered to go on this little excursion, believe it or not. Why don't we go sit down and discuss our business?". _

They walked over to the bench and sat down. 

_"What does she want?"_ Sydney asked, wanting to get to the point as quickly as possible. 

Sark shook his head. _"I'll save that for Mum to tell you. We're here to discuss Agent Vaughn."_

Sydney stared into Sark's eyes. _"If you hurt him…"_ Sydney began before Sark cut her off. 

_"Sydney! I'm insulted. Do you really think I would hurt your boyfriend?"_. Sydney opened up her mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by Sark. _"Oh, I know. You won't admit to that, but please. Anyone with half a brain and a pair of eyes could see your true feelings for Agent Vaughn."_

Sydney narrowed her eyes. _"You know nothing about me or my relationship with Agent Vaughn. What have you done with him?" _

Sark smiled at Sydney. _"There's actually a funny story behind that. It seems your Agent Vaughn has a case of amnesia. Or at least he claims to have amnesia."_

Sydney gasped. _"Tell me why I am here. Where is Agent Vaughn?" _

Sark smirked at Sydney. _"He's still with our mother and Mr. Khasinau. Don't worry though, they won't hurt him. This trip was a test." _

Sydney was outraged. _"What the hell do you mean a test? I don't believe this shi…" _

Sark held up his hand. _"Language, Sydney. We needed to know that you were completely willing to go the distance to recover Agent Vaughn. You'll be informed of the real first step soon." _

Sydney stared at Sark as if he were crazy_. "What good is Agent Vaughn to you? Release him now. You won't get what you want from me until Agent Vaughn is returned safely." _

Sark laughed. "_Sydney, you will play by our rules. As long as you cooperate, Agent Vaughn will live. Consider this an extended vacation for him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important business to deal with." _

Sark got up from the bench and stared Sydney in the eyes. _"Think about what I've just said, or I'll make sure that  Agent Vaughn comes home to you in a body bag."  _

With that Sark walked off, leaving Sydney alone on the park bench, struggling to contain her anger.  Sydney got up from her place on the bench and stalked out of the park, no longer admiring its beauty.

              Sark walked down a path in the park, still enjoying the memory of Sydney's reaction. _"That was more fun than I thought it would be." _

Glancing around to find the proper exit to get to Madison Avenue, he failed to notice the figure advancing on him from behind. As he approached the secluded area, he felt an arm grab him across his chest. 

_"Don't struggle with me,"_ were the last words Sark heard before everything went black.

End Episode Six

To be continued in Part Two…


End file.
